Most of the time when we hear about domestic violence in the
news, it’s because something tragic happened. Usually it’s a
perpetrator who assaulted a target, causing extreme injury or even
death, such as in the case of Tracey Thurman when Buck stabbed her
13 times and stomped on her while a police officer did not
intervene.

Sometimes targets will go through the legal system for
protection, as Tracey Thurman did, and obtain a restraining order
against their abuser.

We don’t hear about the times when the restraining orders work,
we usually hear about the times when the perpetrator violates it
and causes damage.

This brings us to some important questions. Are restraining
orders worth more than the paper they’re written on? Is it
wise to try and obtain one? Or will it just make matters
worse?

Today’s episode is a Targeted Topic, a stand-alone episode that
you can listen to even if you’re not familiar with the domestic
violence case we’ve been covering this season.